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Team Meeting: Sunday, August 30th @ 5:00 at Hague School!
Our team includes
Our team includes
+ all Norfolk area middle schools
Varsity
Varsity
The Varsity sailor commitment is available in fall and spring seasons. Any sailor with previous sailing experience and some basic knowledge of racing is ready for Varsity.
Considerations for new sailors will be made on an individual basis. Varsity will practice at Norfolk Yacht Club (NYCC) on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays with Saturday regattas in September through October and March through May.
The cost to sail on the Varsity team ranges from about $600-650 per season depending on length of season and size of team. Sailors will also need basic sailing gear to participate. Financial aid and loaner / used swap items are available. Just ask!
Junior Varsity
Junior Varsity
A JV sailor commitment is available in the fall season only. This is for 7th, 8th, and 9th graders who have skills ranging from no prior sailing experience to those with basic learn to sail experience but have not yet started racing.
JV practices at Norfolk Yacht Club (NYCC) on Mondays and Tuesdays only and participates in a limited number of Saturday JV regattas in September and October. JV sailors may advance to Varsity the following season at the discretion of the Head Coach.
The cost to sail on the Junior Varsity team ranges from about $450-500 per season depending on length of season and size of team. Sailors will also need basic sailing gear to participate. Financial aid and loaner / used swap items are available. Just ask!
Why should I join?
Why should I join?
Knowing how to catch the wind to fly through the water is exhilarating and rewarding, and it is an activity you can enjoy for your entire life. How can you maximize your speed by steering, tuning your sails, adjusting your weight, communicating with your crew mate, and watching for wind shifts? Woot woot! Check out that wake behind your boat! Racing takes this quest for boat speed to the next level by adding strategy and friendly competition! A three-minute starting horn has just blown and there are 20 boats on the water. Where will you steer so you have the best chance of crossing the starting line at the end of the countdown with enough forward momentum, clean air, and the right tack to beat past the rest of the fleet and be first around the upwind mark? Uh oh! A strong gust has just capsized your boat. How will you keep your cool, ensure your crew's safety, and get the boat back upright and sailing so you don't lose your place in the race? No big deal, you've got this! Now that you've righted the boat, it looks like you're on a collision-course with another boat! Do the racing rules allow you to hold course, or do you need to give way to the other boat? How can you use these rules to your advantage? If the other boat has violated the racing rules, will you decide to file a protest? How will you make your case to the race committee while showing good sportsmanship? The calm nerves and confidence you learn on the race course will serve you well in the sport and far beyond. Finally, NYSA sailing team life is a great way to build friendships and have tons of fun with young people from different schools across Norfolk, all while sailing against students from middle and high schools across the region. If any of this excites you, we want you on the team!
How do I join the team?
How do I join the team?
At the start of each season, NYSA holds a team formation meeting to gauge interest. Read below to ensure you're eligible, then simply attend this meeting and we'll add you to our team roster to receive the relevant paperwork to sign up. Can't attend the formation meeting? Contact us at info@norfolkyouthsailing.org.
Join our mailing list to stay in the loop on the date of our next team formation meeting.
Note that Fall season tends to be warmer and less equipment intensive, and it is the strongly-preferred season for novice sailors / racers.
Who is eligible to join the NYSA team?
Who is eligible to join the NYSA team?
Any student attending any middle school in Norfolk in the 7th or 8th grade, and any student attending Maury High School, Granby High School, or the Hague School. Per our mission and bylaws, NYSA is open to expanding to additional high schools in Norfolk if there were significant enough interest. To remain in good standing on the team, sailors must pay seasonal dues (typically ~$600, financial assistance exists) and maintain strong academic standing at their school.
What are the current high schools with Varsity teams organized by NYSA?
What are the current high schools with Varsity teams organized by NYSA?
Maury High School Commodores
Granby High School Comets
The Hague School Tritons
What do you get when you combine Commodores, Comets, and Tritons: Wildcats. That's right!
What is the experience like for middle school students?
What is the experience like for middle school students?
Middle school students, even those brand new to sailing, can participate successfully on our high school team at the JV or Varsity level. JV practices are two days a week, with four or five Saturday regattas in September and October.
Middle school students get a leg up on the skills they need to be competitive in high school sailing, whether they continue on to Maury, Granby, or The Hague School, or choose to move on to schools with their own Varsity sailing programs, such as Norfolk Collegiate and Norfolk Academy.
We do not run a Junior Varsity program in the spring, but we can accommodate some middle school students in our spring Varsity program if they have the skills and willingness to participate.
Do students need to know how to sail to join?
Do students need to know how to sail to join?
We welcome sailors of all levels of experience. Our racing boats are two-person FJs, in which students can either serve as skipper or crew. While we encourage students to experience both roles, often students start in the crew role and build toward the skipper role. To find competitive success at the Varsity level, ideally students will gain exposure in middle school or in their 9th grade year at the Junior Varsity level before moving into Varsity. That being said, we've had students start at the Varsity level with minimal experience and do quite well!
When are the racing seasons? How are the seasons different?
When are the racing seasons? How are the seasons different?
The VISA league runs a Fall and Spring season. At the start of each season, the team holds a team formation meeting to gauge interest. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop on the date of our next team formation meeting. Fall season tends to be warmer and less equipment intensive, and it is the preferred season for novice joiners. Spring season is colder and longer, and it typically requires sailors to purchase wet suits and dry suits.
What is the time commitment? How much travel is involved?
What is the time commitment? How much travel is involved?
Varsity practice typically runs 3 days per week (Mon, Tues, Thurs), from 3:45 - 6:30PM at the Norfolk Yacht and Country Club (NYCC). Junior Varsity practice typically runs 2 days per week (Mon, Tues), from 3:45 - 6:30PM.
Regattas are typically held on Saturdays and run from 7:30AM - 3PM. Varsity typically has 10-12 regattas in a season, and JV typically has 4-5. Regattas are alternately held at NYCC, Youth Sail Virginia, or The Christchurch School and require families to provide transportation. Carpooling is quite common on regatta days.
League events and NYSA are run by adult volunteers, so parents are critical to assist as members of the NYSA Board, support fundraising, and volunteer in roles at regattas and throughout the year.
Who are the coaches?
Who are the coaches?
NYSA has been fortunate to establish relationships with collegiate sailing programs such as Old Dominion University, one of the strongest college sailing programs in the US. In any given season, we typically have a rotation of 3-4 paid coaches, most of them collegiate sailing team alums. Stephen Guglielmo serves as our head coach, coordinating all coaching and regattas with our board, which is elected by families each year. If you are interested in coaching with us, please reach out to headcoach@norfolkyouthsailing.org.
How much are the seasonal dues?
How much are the seasonal dues?
Team sailing dues vary each season depending on the size of the team and our coaching needs, and they cover all coaching and sailboat costs for 12 to 13 weeks of practices and regattas. Varsity dues are typically $650-$700; Junior Varsity dues are typically $450-$500. For the amount of time our sailors are on the water and the caliber of competition and equipment, this cost is significantly lower than comparable youth activities.
Note: the full "cost to sail" per sailor/season is ~$800 for Varsity and ~$600 for JV; the out-of-pocket cost for all team families is thanks to fundraising efforts by our volunteers.
Financial assistance can be made available to those in further need. We believe cost should not be a barrier to a student who wants to sail.
What equipment will I need and what does it cost?
What equipment will I need and what does it cost?
The cost of the boats (Club FJs) is covered by your sailing dues. Beyond that, vest-style PFD (life jackets) and helmets are mandatory. A spray top (waterproof shell or fleece) is highly recommended in the Fall season. During Spring season, dry suits and wetsuits are typically a requirement. Most gear can be purchased used or through a bulk purchase discount with the team, but you can expect total one-time gear cost to be $200-$500.
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